Emotional
by Fallen Angel Of The Forgotten
Summary: R 27 drabble. Tsuna contends with the fact that he will always be an emotional boss, whether he likes it or not.


Reborn watched from the safety of the kiddy pool as Tsuna pushed himself into another lap, twisting around underneath the cold water and kicking off the wall again, propelling himself forward with a reckless abandonment he had only ever demonstrated when he was younger. The recent years had gifted Tsuna with patience and extensive limits, but like everyone else he was not infallible.

Getting up from his spot, Reborn climbed out of the kiddy pool and padded over to where Tsuna would hit next, waiting until the boy was a few inches away before shoving his small hand into the water and grabbing a fistful of Tsuna's hair, yanking the boy out of the water easily. Tsuna sputtered and coughed, confirming Reborn's assumption – he hadn't been taking long enough breaths.

"You shouldn't be so reckless, Dame-Tsuna. It doesn't look good on a boss." His grip loosened a bit and he sat down, watching the thin chest heave up and down in an effort to recover lost air. There was no one around fortunately, so no one would be able to say for certain that the grip Reborn had on Tsuna's hair turned into gentle petting. "Something on your mind?"

For a moment Tsuna didn't look like he'd answer; his brown eyes turned dark with conflicting emotions, and his lips pressed together tightly. Then the emotions broke through, and the teen was resting his chin on the edge of the pool. "I was stupid today, wasn't I? Because of my idiotic ways, my…_weakness_, we're going to war with the Kowari Family." Reborn didn't say anything, the hand on his student's head stilled in its petting but still present, a comforting weight. "It's just like you said, Reborn. I'm too… emotional. A boss shouldn't let his emotions interfere so much. But I did and now because of it…" his head tipped sideways, ear to the concrete now. If anyone asked, those weren't tears in Tsuna's eyes.

Reborn sighed through his nose. His student might have been a boss now, but he still had a great deal to learn. His fingers began to run through the impossibly thick hair again, tugging out a few stray strands and putting them aside. "I made that assumption nine years ago, Tsuna. Times have changed. You've changed."

"And yet it still holds true. Think of how many conflicts we've been in since I became boss. Can you really say that we wouldn't be better off if I wasn't so emotional?" Tsuna didn't seem to notice that there was a strange note in his voice now, almost needy. Reborn noticed it though, and knew it for what it was. He tilted his head, peering down at his former student.

"It's true that you're emotional, Tsuna. It's also true that we Vongola end up in more battles because of your emotions. But that doesn't make you weak. Primo worked in a similar way to you; he was guided by his emotions as well as the emotions of those he came into contact with. On top of that, he had a very strong sense of justice and the ability to connect to people on a spiritual level." Reborn paused, leaning back a bit and rolling his neck. The body of a four year old took time to get used to. "I think, that given all that, it's better for the Vongola to have an emotional leader with a sense of justice than a leader guided by logic and loose morals. The other Vongola bosses didn't listen to their emotions like you or Primo, and they fell to the Underworld's grip easily. You and Primo are the only two who haven't."

Tsuna was quiet, fingers playing with the edges of the pool as he listened to Reborn's lecture. His teacher was, once again, correct in almost all those respects. Tsuna was heavily guided by emotions and his sense of justice, and had yet to fall into the corruption of drugs or black-market actions. If anything, the Vongola had been cleaned up a bit. _I guess… that I'm not such a terrible leader, then._

"Still," the young man ventured, pushing himself out of the pool to sit beside his teacher. "I still want to be even better. I don't want to keep getting into fights like this. If there was a way for me to keep being as I am minus the fights –"

"There isn't." Reborn shot him down, Leon turning into a portable heater to sit between the two and keep them toasty. "You are either an emotional leader or an unjust leader. Take your pick."

Tsuna sighed. "No changes then?"

The four year old smirked. "Not a one. Get used to being called emotional, Dame-Tsuna."


End file.
